Man who spent 17 years in prison in wrongful charge of robbery received $1.1M settlement.

1 month ago

The man who spent 17years in prison for robbery was cleared from the charge and would be granted more than $1 million settlement money.

42-years-old Richard Anthony Jones was convicted in Johnson County, Kansas and imprisoned for an aggravated robbery he did not commit in 2002, His conviction was vacated and charges against him dismissed in 2017.

The settlement came as part of an agreement after Jones filed a lawsuit in August seeking compensation for the state's mistake.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said that Jones was the first person to receive a settlement under a new state law that provides compensation to people who are wrongly imprisoned.

Jones was sent to prison for an attack and robbery in the parking lot of a Walmart in Roeland Park, Kansas in 1999 but no physical evidence linked Jones to the crime, and he always maintained his innocence.

the victim and witnesses withdrew their identification of Jones after supporters found evidence that another man who looked just like him lived near the Walmart.

the suspect identified as Rick Amos testified at the hearing that he did not commit the robbery.

he had been in and out of prison in the 1990s, and he was in the same facility with Jones at one time.

Jones was given a certificate of innocence and will receive counseling and health care through the state for two years. The settlement requires final approval by a state council.